Do some studies (Tag Tony)

[st_hotflashes]

Liz had a small vial of her own blood she had taken from the infirmary. It reminded her of when she had to take blood from Alex to switch with Max's at the hospital. It seemed like a really long time ago now and Alex... well, Alex was dead.

She pushed the thought away as she rounded toward Mr. Stark's room. She knew he mostly used it for work and she hoped he was working today. She also hoped he would be willing to run some basic tests on her blood.

Liz paused outside his door, then knocked. She briefly wondered if Peter told him what had happened to her. She also wondered if Mr. Stark was aware of how they hadn't been kissing for practically two months and now they were again.

Comments

[st_hotflashes]

"I think... I think it's my emotions. They come out a lot when I'm worried about Peter, for one." So the fact they hadn't been kissing for a while had been a big one. Now it was just when she really thought about how he was going to die back home if they didn't find a way to change things.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

The AI rubbed his neck sheepishly, weighing his options.

“Can I let you in on a secret?”

[st_hotflashes]

She looked a little apprehensive, but she nodded. She never thought she'd be taking advice from her boyfriend's mentor's AI, but there she was.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony’s projection sighed and shrugged. “Anxiety is Tony Stark’s default state of being. Life at this point is nothing but a series of stratagems to outsmart it.”

[st_hotflashes]

"He hasn't found a moment of peace?" She knew he was worried about the future and about Peter, but before the knowledge of that, hadn't he found some peace at all?

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"I wouldn't go that far." Nonchalant, or bearing the appearance of it, the clone leaned his head from side to side. "Well. Not quite. Hope. That's at the bottom of it."

[st_hotflashes]

"I have hope.... do you know how many people here told me that Peter and I were just some... temporary thing? And the idea of even maybe being able to be together outside of this place was impossible and stupid to think?" She managed to keep most of how she felt about that out of her voice, but it had hurt to hear from some of the people.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

The armor rested its hand on her slight shoulder as a response, the touch surprisingly gentle. "Good. Keep it. Barring a flat mathematical rejection of our running hypotheses, there's no reason not to hold onto it, you get what I'm saying?" The image of Tony Stark was thoughtful, staring ahead as the projected portrait of proteins turned into a sprawling spiderweb representing each separate universe connected to their dimension.

[st_hotflashes]

She looked out at the image and even lifted her hand to touch the image with her fingers. Her fingers, of course, went right through the image. This was string theory in its core - she probably learned more about that theory here than most back home could dream of. "I'm going to find a way, even if I have to go home first. My world has aliens in it and a machine capable of time travel. I don't think it's too far fetched to think it could do more than that."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“And after?” The AI asked as he suddenly turned to glance down at the young woman.

[st_hotflashes]

She looked at him. "You mean, after I get to your world?" Some might think she hadn't thought about that part. A lot of people seemed to think that Liz hadn't thought about her family, either, but she had thought about that as well.

"I want to be with Peter. I want to support him. I'd like to get into molecular biologist. I want to get married some day and have kids."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“Accommodations? Citizen registry?” The strings magnified rapidly into an image of 2017 New York, bearing a rich landscape view of the city as if taken from the Empire State Building. Countless lights within a cluster of scyscrapers shine brightly.

[st_hotflashes]

Liz had never been to New York. She had only seen it in pictures and in movies and the only thing she thought was confusing was there didn't seem to be two identical towers that were iconic. It was another reminder that Peter's world was from the future and while she had 'studied' hard about the technology and other parts while in Europe last year, there would be a high learning curve.

"Peter's pretty sure I can stay with him and May. If not... I'm willing to stay in a shelter until I can find a job or something." Liz was a stubborn woman. "But.. I don't know the answer to the last one, unless maybe I find someone who could... make one for me."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Nodding along slowly, there wasn't much for him to add. He didn't have the intention of prying or poking holes, simply taking Liz at her word. "Whether Tony would remember you or not, you'd become an object of interest pretty rapidly."

[st_hotflashes]

She exhaled a little, looking at her hands in her lap. She had thought about that too, though she had never really voiced it. The possibility that Peter went back and forgot her was likely. She thought the probability she would forget was low if she was going to a different world than her own. Liz lifted her legs up on the chair and wrapped her arms around them while resting her chin between her knees. "Do you think Mr. Stark would be okay with it? I mean, if I told him the truth, would he believe me?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“Comparatively, not mindblowing for a girl to traverse dimensions.” His lips were pulled into a slight frown, and he lowered to sit on Liz’s opposite side from the armor. “It’s not whether he’d believe you that worries me. You’d get put on SHIELD’s radar within a week.”

[st_hotflashes]

"SHIELD?" This was a new term despite the amount of times Peter spoke about home and the organizations there. "Is that the government?" She was already on the FBI's list back home, after all.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“Government offshoot. Avenger-wranglers. Currently disavowed, but, hey, not sure that’d stop them.” Tony’s AI made a little sheepish whine. “Wish I could say they’re the end of it. Little thing called the Sokovia Accords happened.”

[st_hotflashes]

She listened carefully, trying to commit all the details to memory. "The Sokovia Accords? What does that say?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

In the blink of an eye, the holograms had vanished. Then the armor rose and Iron Man was putting distance between himself and Liz, rubbing at its own face plate in a gesture of distress it shouldn't have been able to feel.

"Might be saying too much."

[st_hotflashes]

That troubled Liz a lot. She sat up straighter, though didn't want to put pressure on him yet by standing up and following. "Mr. Stark... I have the right to know."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"I've been pushing my luck. The Accords are...delicate." Iron Man turned to face Liz, a mirror where his faceplate should have been for whatever reason. "I'm not trying to give you the runaround, but you're better off asking the man himself, kid."

[st_hotflashes]

This time she did stand up and for the first time, maybe, she looked more stubborn than she did in front of Mr. Stark or, as it were, his AI. "So, you're willing to tell me about my DNA, but not this? That's really unfair." The stubbornness faded and it was replaced by a subtle frown. She paused. "Fine. I'll talk to him."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Your DNA isn't a hot button political issue. No offense." A beat. "If I deny the meatspace Tony Stark the opportunity to deliver the message himself, it'll create grief for the both of you."

[st_hotflashes]

She let out a soft breath, looking a little defeated. "Alright... I'll wait to talk to him then."